PROTECTION AND ENFORCEMENT OF IP RIGHTS
**RIGHTS PROTECTION PROGRAMMEs**
The intellectual property rights you have are some of your most valuable assets. You've put in the time, spent the money, and now you must protect your investment to make sure you maximise your portfolio's potential. Also, it is your duty as IP owner to adequately protect your rights, otherwise they will erode and, eventually, lose their strength and value. Which is why we can help you with the creation of an integrated strategy to protect your rights. First of all, you should be aware of and prepared for all the attacks that your rights will be subject to. We can then set up both a preventive strategy to dissuade and avoid cases in the first place, and a monitoring and reporting procedure so that you can be aware of abuses when that happen. Once you detect these infringements, you must then know exactly what to do and how to do it. Having managed some of the largest Rights/Brand protection operations in Sports, we can guide you through this complex but crucially important project.
PREVENTION STRATEGIES AND TOOLS
Tackling infringements and enforcing your rights is inevitably a time-consuming and messy business, and hence an inefficient way to enforce your rights. That's why we recommend the implementation of preventive strategies, that can avoid conflicts from happening in the first place. Disseminating information about your rights, putting in place the necessary contractual provisions, liaising with the relevant industry bodies, are just some of the tools and strategies we can help you with.
MONITORING & REPORTING TOOLS
The only efficient way to know if your rights are being infringed on is to have a monitoring strategy in place that allows you to find out about other's encroachment on your territory (or flat out illegal abuse of your property). Whether it is active monitoring - targeting your most sensitive competitors, or passive monitoring - (i.e. a reporting program) that allows your members and stakeholders to report any cases they come across to you, it is important to have your eyes and ears open.
ANTI-COUNTERFEIT STRATEGY
Protecting your official merchandising programme against knock-offs/copy-cats and unauthorised uses of your properties is essential to preserving the potential of this revenue stream and the integrity of your Brand. We can advise you on your overall strategy or on any stages of your anti-counterfeit efforts.
INFRINGEMENT HANDLING
Inevitably, infringements on your IP rights will happen, no matter how prepared you are. When they are detected, you have to be ready to act and play solid defense, in order to safeguard the integrity and value of your rights (not to mention to protect your commercial partners and your brand goodwill). Assessing each case and then acting in the most adequate way (whether through informal contacts, Cease and Desist letters or legal action). It is crucial the choose the right tool for each job.
DISPUTE RESOLUTION
Sometimes conflict situations are very complex, particularly when they involve different stakeholders involved in Sports. Mediation and Arbitration can yield the most fulfilling results, and can be much more effective tools to ending disputes. You will need someone by your side to navigate these procedures and push them forward. We'll help make sure you walk away from disputes knowing that your core interests were preserved, if necessary negotiating the best possible licensing and settlement agreements.